Saturday, November 05, 2011

Fawkes gave his name as John Johnson and was first interrogated by members of the King's Privy Chamber, where he remained defiant. When asked by one of the lords what he was doing in possession of so much gunpowder, Fawkes answered that his intention was "to blow you Scotch beggars back to your native mountains."[37]

Anonymous is probably good enough to take down the social network, if only for a brief while, if they felt like it. The good news — for Facebook fans — is that the group frequently uses threats and warnings as a way to get people thinking about their targets without actually diving in. Facebook is now a target for abusing user privacy.

There was a mild buzz around the Internet about Nov. 5 as a potential Facebook attack date. Nov. 5 corresponds to Guy Fawkes Day, a UK holiday celebrating the failed plot by a crew of conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, to blow up British Parliament in 1605 and kill King James I. The holiday is supposed to celebrate the saving of the King’s life, but in recent years, it seems the revelry now favors Guy Fawkes and the idea of speaking truth (or gunpowder) to power. Fawkes was later popularized in the graphic novel-turned-movie V for Vendetta, which introduced a highly stylized Fawkes mask worn by rebels and revelers.

Thursday, November 03, 2011

The ranks of America's poorest poor have climbed to a record high — 1 in 15 people — spread widely across metropolitan areas as the housing bust pushed many inner-city poor into suburbs and other outlying places and shriveled jobs and income.

New census data paint a stark portrait of the nation's haves and have-nots at a time when unemployment remains persistently high. It comes a week before the government releases first-ever economic data that will show more Hispanics, elderly and working-age poor have fallen into poverty.

In all, the numbers underscore the breadth and scope by which the downturn has reached further into mainstream America.

"There now really is no unaffected group, except maybe the very top income earners," said Robert Moffitt, a professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University."

...the longtime Texas governor said he did not take pain medication or consume any other substance before Friday's Cornerstone Action annual dinner.

"I've probably given 1,000 speeches," Perry told the newspaper Wednesday. "There are some that have been probably boring, some that have been animated, some that have been in between."
When asked about comedian Jon Stewart's suggestion that Perry drank alcohol before the event, the Texas governor said, "It wasn't that either."

"It's not that I wouldn't love to sit down with Jon and have a glass of wine," Perry said. "If he'll buy."

The new details—which come from multiple sources independently familiar with the incident at a hotel during a restaurant association event in the late 1990s—put the woman’s account even more sharply at odds with Cain’s emphatic insistence in news media interviews this week that nothing inappropriate happened between the two.

But if Cain is telling the truth, the response to story is disconcerting, Fleischer says

Fleischer: Washington's scandal industry has kicked into full gear

If Herman Cain committed sexual harassment and is now lying about it, his goose is cooked and it should be. But if he is telling the truth, there is something terribly disconcerting about the way the Washington "scandal industrial complex" -- full of reporters, former campaign workers and pundits -- has reacted to this sad story.

After the story broke in Politico, Cain the next day denied that he sexually harassed anyone, which after all, is the core issue. Since then, other anonymous sources claim they too were harassed, without anyone really knowing what the alleged harassment entailed. He has been consistent, unwavering and on the record in his denial.But that's not good enough for the way things work in Washington, where the manner in which he reacted to the news is said to be a sign of whether he would make a good president.

Please attempt to help others keep a rational head today. What is being blatantly demonstrated here is how the media will manipulate the message away from the facts, and why. Again, this is a protest and movement against the corporate influence and corruption of the government caused by the few, by reminding everyone of the resulting disaster it has wreaked on the economy and the effects of which the rest of us feel. When that same collection of corporate entities also own the media which ultimately creates the message for the masses, the most true aspects of everything to do with the movement will never be covered, and instead be misrepresented to influence public opinion away from the underlying facts.

Some important facts that you will not find in the mainstream (corporate) media today which (completely co-incidentally I'm sure) will be the total polar opposite message we'll hear from the blowhards who only get their information from that corporate owned media bent on misrepresenting this movement:- None of the "violence" of yesterdays demonstration was planned by, condoned, or in any way sanctioned by the general assembly at Grant Plaza...

...

- Do a Google search for "Oakland Liberation Front" right now. They are a self invented, radicalized, pseudo-anarchist group styled after Black Bloc that attempted to subvert the protests yesterday. They have not been involved in any way with holding space in Grant Park

...

- This is the flyer they were handing out around Grant Park the day before the General Strike

Yes, at this point in their presidencies, Obama and Reagan are running very similar poll numbers. And if I remember right, there was a lot of talk about Reagan's failed presidency and about him being a one term-er at this point in his first term. (George H. W., on the other hand, looked unbeatable at this point.)

Of course, the democrats helped Reagan out quite a bit by nominating Mondale, but the Republicans will surely not pull the Democrats' favorite trick and run a weak candidate against a beatable incumbent in 2012, will they? Oh...

One interestng thing about these numbers is that almost every president starts strong and crashes out, approval-wise, by the end of their final term in office. There are many reasons for this, of course, and that is not what I find interesting.

What is interesting is that there is one president here who clearly shattered this trend. Bill Clinton.

I think we all miss Bill at this point. At least, I really miss the state of the economy under his watch.

Yeah, I know the arguments about the presidency and the economy... But there is still a lot to be said for the influence of the guy in the White House contributing to the positive or negative mood of the country, which does effect the economy in a fairly substantial way.

This is a very cool interactive chart USA Today has put together. It is worth a look

The Gallup organization first started asking Americans how they approved of the job the president was doing in the 1940s. See how each president since then has fared in the approval poll, look at some news events that influenced public opinion and compare how approval ratings evolved for each president.

Stumping for his jobs bill today, President Obama invoked a unique source of support: God.

Obama's theological appeal came while protesting that House Republicans have ignored his $447 billion American Jobs Act, even while approving legislation re-affirming "In God We Trust" as the national motto.

"That's not putting people back to work," Obama said during a jobs speech at a bridge in Washington, D.C. "I trust in God, but God wants to see us help ourselves by putting people back to work."

Occupy Portland expands to Terry Schrunk Plaza | OregonLive.com: Four tents associated with Occupy Portland went up overnight at Terry Schrunk Plaza, a federal park in downtown Portland.The campers moved about 3 a.m. to the plaza, which is across from Portland City Hall. Derek Moilanen, 26, said he and the other campers plan to apply for a permit to remain at the park.

Federal authorities have not responded to an email from The Oregonian about the encampment.

Moilanen said he and the other campers agree with Occupy Portland's message but they were growing disenchanted with conditions at the encampments at Chapman and Lownsdale squares.

Portland police arrest 25 Occupy Portland demonstrators overnight | OregonLive.com: After the park's closure at midnight, a group of demonstrators remained, facing off with police. Officers used night sticks and horses, shoving people to the south end of the park. A circle of protesters remained seated in the center of the square wearing bandannas over their mouths and making peace signs with their hands. The crowd on the edges of the park, meanwhile, grew increasingly agitated, yelling at police: "Whose park? Our park," and "You guys are bullies!" Demonstrators were arrested on accusations of trespassing, interfering with a police officer and disorderly conduct for the noise complaints from neighbors. 'via Blog this'

As senior pastor of the nondenominational Fountain Street Church, [Rev. Fred] Wooden delivered a sermon this month which highlighted the similarities between the Occupy movement’s cry for economic equality and the gospel story of Jesus cleansing the temple by casting out the money changers.

But Wooden didn’t stop at words when it came to expressing solidarity with the Occupy movement. The church has allowed the Occupy Grand Rapids protesters to camp in its parking lot at night and is providing other support measures.

It appears the movement has found an ally in the faith community due to their cry for social and economic justice. On Monday, the Vatican’s call for the establishment of a “global public authority” and a “central world bank” to rule over financial institutions was seen immediately as a measure of support for Occupy Wall Street.